From the founder of Big E Toys. "The Future of Board Games" is as you might expect, an exploration of the future of board games. In what direction are we headed and why? What will we be playing? How will we interact? What will games look like in the future?

Friday, October 30, 2009

Colonel Mustard Returns!

Clue fans bored with Colonel Mustard with the lead pipe can now move beyond the mansion with CLUE: Secrets & Spies, an international espionage edition of the classic detective game. The mission here is not impossible and the new Clue comes with a new real-time tech twist: Hasbro says it is the first board game in the company’s history to use cellphone text-messaging in gameplay.

Agent Mustard, Agent Scarlet and the rest of the colorful Clue characters are now on assignment to thwart C.L.U.E. (Criminal League for Ultimate Espionage) and take down the evil Agent Black. At the beginning of the game, players check in at Hasbro headquarters via text from their own cellphones. As the game proceeds, Hasbro sends six text messages back to move the action along. An ultraviolet decoder, included with the game’s activity cards and other pieces, also reveals information.

CLUE: Secrets & Spies sells for $25 at www.hasbro.com/clue. The text-messaging element is optional and Hasbro is committed to supporting it through December 2011. The cost of the text-messages aren’t included—which could be a clue itself as to why the phone bill is so high for enthusiastic players without unlimited text-message plans.